Top Airport in North America - Ottawa International Airport

Photo courtesy of CBC

I have not landed at the Ottawa International Airport although I have been to Ottawa a couple of times.  I have yet to see how my fellow Canadians at this airport serve efficiently with millions coming to visit our country.  Kudos to the customer service staff and the whole airport staff in general for job well done.  I have no complain with our own Pearson International Airport in Toronto whatsoever.  The following is a news story by Jordana Divon based on a survey.....

Visitors flying into the nation's capital are landing in world-class style, says a new Airports Council International poll.

According to the survey, Ottawa boasts the top airport in North America for customer service and high quality facilities, and places second overall in the world for airports that serve between two and five million passengers.

Though it sits at the top of the North American list, the airport slipped from the number one worldwide spot it earned in 2010.  This year's slot was awarded to Ecuador's Guayalquil airport.  
Read the full story here.

Courtesy of Daily Brew - Yahoo News

Go Ahead with the Cruise - After the ill-fated Costa Concordia?

I have not been to a luxury cruise but have had enough information on how luxurious the cruising was.  The sailing I am referring to are the ones on the high seas for a couple of nights.  The ones that stop on some ports that give the passengers experience what the stop-over has in store for them.  To me, it is a better way of exploring and discovering small places. 

I have been to short cruises that last from four hours to a day.  I always want to experience all the transport facilities in my destinations.  I fly, take the bus, the taxi, the train, and cruise to go around must-see places.

Taking a week-long cruise is not in my itinerary but I had planned on cruising to Alaska just before the mishap in Giglio, Italy.  I never question my original travel plan after the disaster and I don't see any reason why I should change my mind.  

Cruise bookings after the Costa Concordia disaster remain strong according to the cruise industry. Daily Telegraph in UK confirmed that prospective holiday makers are still making almost as many inquiries about cruises as they were before the mishap.

To read the details of the story released by Tribune Information Services, please click here.

Wanted Volunteers to Live in Ecuador City for a Month

Consider retiring abroad?  You could win a month living in Cuenca, Ecuador courtesy of International Living Magazine.

Reuters published this fresh news today.  I am sharing this information to those interested in adventure and exploring new places.

Ecuador - Photo Courtesy of Julia Rubinic

An international magazine is looking for volunteers to spend a month in Cuenca, Ecuador to test its potential as a retirement destination.

Applicants must be near retirement age, from the United States or Canada and be willing to explore, shop, try local restaurants, maybe take a Spanish class, and report on their experience during an all-expenses-paid month in the Latin American country.

"We're not giving away a free vacation," said Jennifer Stevens, the executive editor of International Living magazine, which launched the competition.

"The idea is we will find a candidate who is already thinking about living overseas, is excited about the prospect. We are looking for someone who is adventurous and eager to try something new," she added in an interview.

The winner of the competition, who will be announced on May 30, will receive round-trip air fare for two, a furnished apartment and $1,500 in living expenses, according to an ad posted on InternationalLiving.com.

The magazine said the competition gives it the opportunity to show readers the benefits of retiring abroad.

Ecuador, Panama and Mexico, in that order, were the top destinations in the magazine's Retirement Index 2012, which assessed a country's retirement potential based on property prices, special benefits, cost of living, assimilation, entertainment, health infrastructure, healthcare and climate.

Malaysia, Colombia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Spain, Thailand and Honduras rounded out the top 10 destinations in the index.

InternationalLiving.com estimates that a couple can live in Cuenca for as little as $915 per month after rent.

It is the first competition of its kind for the magazine, which is expecting thousands of applicants. If it is successful, Stevens said, she is open to repeating the opportunity.

"I'm hoping we can get tens of thousands of people interested," she said.

The contest is limited to Americans and Canadians because they make up the bulk of the magazine's readership.

People interested in entering the competition, either solo or as a couple, should post a video no longer than three minutes to YouTube saying why they would want to spend their golden years abroad, as well as a month in Ecuador.

The competition closes on March 15. Magazine staff will select a shortlist of 20 applicants that will be posted on its website, where people can cast votes online. But the ultimate decision will be made by the magazine staff.
"Anyone can vote," Stevens said.

No writing experience is necessary but if the magazine publishes the winner's report, they will be paid its normal freelance rate.

To read more about this story, follow the link:
http://www.canada.com/travel/Wanted+Volunteers+live+Ecuador+city+month/6126484/story.html

Destination: New Zealand is hot for 2012

Hot on the heels of Rugby World Cup, and a bag full of international tourism accolades from 2011, New Zealand is set to stay in the international spotlight for 2012.

The 2011 collection of significant awards - designating New Zealand as hot, popular and eco-friendly - confirms Aotearoa New Zealand as a top international destination for visitors looking to fulfill their travel dreams.

Travel authority Lonely Planet has picked New Zealand’s Southern Lakes in the ‘top 10 regions to visit in 2012’, and New Zealand was voted top global eco-tourism destination at both World Traveller and Viagens e Turismo tourism awards in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

New Zealand ranked third strongest country brand in the 2011 FutureBrand Country Brand Index (CBI), and in the past 12 months many individual Kiwis - sports people, film-makers, authors, designers, artists, wine-makers and tourism operators - have been recognised as among the best in their field.

Researched destination
New Zealand is among the most researched destinations for UK tourists according to flight comparison website Skyscanner’s 2012 global travel trends report - an analysis of flight search data from 15 million monthly users.

Spain remains the favourite British destination, but a 35% year-on-year increase puts New Zealand in the top 10 destinations receiving growing interest from the British travelling public.

In October, The Telegraph (UK) readers named New Zealand as their second favorite worldwide destination at the Telegraph Travel Awards, and Wanderlust (UK) travel magazine readers voted New Zealand their third most satisfying holiday destination.

Rugby World Cup which brought 133,000 visitors - including significant numbers of UK tourists - to New Zealand in September and October, also delivered New Zealand landscapes and culture along with live rugby coverage to a massive international viewing audience in 230-plus countries.

For 2012, two New Zealand regions have been singled out for international attention.
The Southern Lakes region which includes three major New Zealand tourist destinations - Queenstown, Lake Wanaka and Fiordland - is the only New Zealand region to feature in Lonely Planet’s ‘Best in Travel 2012’. Queenstown and Southern Lakes is ranked at #8 for its year-round activities and spectacular scenery.

Kaikoura - New Zealand’s southern whale watching capital - became the first destination in the world to achieve gold in a new global green benchmark for community sustainability efforts. The Gold Community certification awarded by Green Globe recognises the Kaikoura community’s efforts and contribution to New Zealand’s world-leading sustainable tourism credentials.

Cycling and hiking
In 2012, there will be plenty to entice travellers to experience Destination New Zealand’s natural wonders, unique culture and lifestyle including some outstanding new cycling and walking attractions.
New Zealand’s developing national cycle trail project - 18 ‘great rides’ through some of the country’s iconic landscapes - is on track for completion towards the end of the year / early 2013. Several cycle ways are already open and others will be opened progressively during this summer and over the coming months.

The ‘great rides’ will join New Zealand’s well established network of nine ‘great walks’ - multi-day hiking treks through a series of wild New Zealand landscapes which include the famed Tongariro Crossing, in the volcanic central North Island, and the Milford Track through the dual world heritage parks of Fiordland on the South Island’s remote southwestern coast.

For intrepid hikers, the Te Araroa Trail - traversing the length of New Zealand - will provide the newest and ultimate walking experience but there are also many opportunities for recreational walkers as the 3000-kilometre trail covers a multitude of shorter day and overnight walks.

Courtesy of Breaking Travel News

Share your GREAT Britain

VisitBritain has called upon the British public to invite their friends and relatives from around the world to visit the UK in 2012. The rallying cry for the nation to get involved is the latest phase of the national tourism agency’s ‘GREAT Britain – You’re Invited’ marketing programme and follows a similar invitation from celebrities including Jamie Oliver, Dame Judi Dench and Matt Smith. 

Under the slogan ‘Share Your GREAT Britain’, the British public, local communities and businesses across the country are being encouraged to make use of a free online toolkit that will allow users to personalize their greeting and enable them to invite their global network to the UK for their next holiday. 

A variety of tools are available free of charge for the public to help send their invite around the world. This includes a ‘10 GREAT Reasons’ app on VisitBritain’s highly popular LoveUK Facebook page, along with a personalized postcard that can be downloaded from visitbritain.org. International friends or relatives who receive an invitation will be entered into a draw to win two return flights to the UK, while anyone sending an invite has the chance to win a Samsung Galaxy Tab. 

Launching the campaign, Tourism Minister John Penrose said: “This is an innovative and personal way of encouraging more visitors to the UK and comes at a time when we want to ensure Britain is top of everyone’s holiday wish list. 

“From the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, to the Diamond Jubilee, we want as many people as possible to come and join in the celebrations, so an open invitation from UK households to friends and family abroad is an ideal way of increasing visitor numbers and making 2012 a truly memorable year for tourism.”

Courtesy of: Breaking Travel News